u/Nichi2025

Hi everyone, so I've always wanted to own a large breed dog and I've been doing some research on some breeds that might be a good fit. I've heard nothing but good things about both English mastiffs and Bullmastiffs, and I'm a bit conflicted about which one I should get.

I lead a pretty low-energy lifestyle so I'm looking to get a dog that's mostly a cuddly couch potato and will be okay with short walks and play as daily exercise. I'm aware both are guardian breeds that will require extensive training. I wanted to hear from people that own these dogs, and what you think are the major differences between the two, and the pros and cons of owning them. Thanks in advance!

Edit: Thanks so much to the people in the comment section, I'm enjoying reading about your guys' experiences with the breeds and I appreciate the additional information and tips too. After looking through the comments I'm probably going to go with an English Mastiff. I have more research to do but it definitely seems like the best fit. Thank you!!!

Hi, so I have never traveled abroad and somewhere I've always wanted to travel is Japan, but I got a lot of questions about it so I figured I'd come here for some advice.

1. I live in PA so I've been trying to figure out which airport to use, after looking some stuff up it looks like NJ and Philadelphia are the best options to fly out. I've asked some people and they say they can find round trip tickets to Japan around $900-$1100 and I can't seem to find anything around that price. I've been looking online for tickets for March 26-April 9th in 2027 and the cheapest I can find is like $1400. Am I doing something wrong or was I lied to?

2. How do you book somewhere to stay? I know some online places can have you book your flights and hotel together. Is that a good idea money wise? If not, then how do you find a good place to stay and how far out should you book? I heard to book everything early but im unsure how early. I know there's some places in Japan that you can book really nice places to stay and they even include a private onsen, which is appealing since I have tattoos and don't wanna get naked with strangers lol. But I'm unsure if that would be overly expensive.

3. Where is the best place to turn your US dollars into yen? Is there a fee and if so how much is it usually? How much should I take out at a time?

4. I am incredibly confused on what the best way to get around is, I have seen things saying "don't take taxis, avoid these trains, use this app or this app" but I'm still a bit lost on all of it. Is there some sort of guide that I should look into?

5. I saw something about filling out some sort of immigration paperwork when you arrive at the airport there. Where do you fill it out? Where do you go with it? Are the airports over there okay to navigate?

6. How to avoid tourist traps?

7. I've been looking into some Japanese etiquette but like I'm worried I'll mess something up in a restaurant or something. Is there a certain way you know if they take cash or card? How do you know where to pay?

8. Is there a good guide of Japan and the places to see somewhere online? I have an idea of some places I'd like to go but, I have a lot of doubts.

9. How does the phone situation work? I heard about an eSIM, how does that work?

10. Do they take credit cards over there? Is there specific ones?

11. What's this about tax exemption? How does it work?

I'm sorry this is long, I am an overthinker and an anxious person so I like to be prepared and I hate not knowing. Any help would be greatly appreciated.